I’m not doing so well on blogging my progress at least once a week but the rest of my June challenge isn’t going too badly!
I haven’t touched a drop of alcohol but that is just becoming part of life now and dry June just doesn’t feel like a huge challenge (which in itself is amazing and I never thought I’d get here!)
I’ve mostly stuck to no refined sugar – I’ve caved in twice so far. Once with birthday cake and once with a bar of dark chocolate. However, I still feel like I’ve “cut out most refined sugar” and I’m learning that a blip shouldn’t define me so it doesn’t sabotage my efforts. I’m re committing now to continue to cut out most refined sugar.
The running part of my challenge is on track and I’m doing between 2 and 4 runs a week. I’m struggling to get back into strength work outs but I have put some 6kg weights in a room where I spend a lot of time so I just pick them up and go three sets of shoulder presses regularly.
All in all, I’m pleased with my progress but there’s still room for improvement. It would be a boring world if we were all perfect though!!
Cognitive dissonance is something that I suffer with a lot! It’s that annoying argument that you have with yourself about two opposing viewpoints. We waste so much energy on these arguments and it can be mentally exhausting! It happened a lot for me around alcohol until I decided to quit drinking for 90 days. Now there’s just no argument! I’ve made the decision so there’s no discussion! It is so freeing! (It is also what is making me think I might just quit alcohol for good!)
However, I noticed recently that a new argument had started up in my brain about going to the gym. I started a new job a few months ago and it means I’m not working from home as much as I used to. That in turn means that I don’t have as much time to go to the gym. What I’ve realised (after lots of reflection which is something else I do more of these days!) is that the cognitive dissonance around going to the gym or not was actually stopping me from doing strength workouts altogether even though I am perfectly well equipped to do them at home! By the time I’d finished arguing with myself, I was too exhausted to do a workout! The solution? I’ve cancelled my gym membership! So not only is that cognitive dissonance quiet now, I’ve saved myself £54 a month! Win win!
I occasionally have an internal argument with myself about going for a run but I’ve developed such a good running habit that it doesn’t happen very often and I know from the experience of building up that habit that I might as well just go for the run as it makes me feel so good! Coupled with the fact that my dogs like running with me so it kills two birds with one stone, that argument rarely gets air time these days.
So my advice to you is this – if your head is filled with a constant battle about something, take a step back, reflect and make a change that stops the cognitive dissonance. It is liberating!
I’ve been a bit rubbish at blogging but I thought I should at least post an update 6 months on from my health and fitness coaching!
Where do I start? Well firstly, I’m really proud of myself! I put on weight over Christmas and I put on weight on an all inclusive holiday in March. The holiday weight is gone and the Christmas weight is well on its way! Im currently half a stone heavier than when I finished the coaching but im feeling so great in every other way that I’m OK with that! All my new smaller clothes still fit me.
The biggest achievement is that I’ve only had alcohol on 6 days this year! That means I haven’t had alcohol on 94 days! it’s been a huge learning experience but I’m mostly loving it. I still have moments of really fancying a drink and I did give in on holiday but I’m coming to the conclusion that alcohol gives me nothing and takes away so much. I would never have got here without the support of Beth throughout my coaching. She got me to see things differently and build long lasting habits.
What does alcohol take away from me?
Sleep – it ruins it
Heart rate – it increases it
HRV – it lowers it
Self respect – it removes it
Memory – it erases it
Motivation – it’s crushes it
Exercise – it stops me from doing it
Anxiety – it adds to it
The list goes on but you get the picture! I’m a happier, calmer, more motivated version of myself without alcohol.
I’m still not ready to say never again and I’m hanging on the the fact that I can drink the bottle of champagne that’s chilling in the cellar but that just means I need to keep working on myself. I’m not fully recovered but I’m going to carry in reading, listening to podcasts and revelling in the unexpected joy of being sober (to steal a phrase from one of my favourite quit lit books with the same name!) So watch this space!
The ultimate test was going to Day Fever recently. This is a night club experience during the day. Curated by Rob McClure of Reverend and the Makers. I went with 3 drinking buddies and I stayed sober. It was a brilliant afternoon and I danced for 3 hours straight to banging tunes. I even got up on stage to dance. I left early as I had other commitments but I would have (and will next time) stayed longer. It made me realise that if I do things that I love, I don’t need to drink. I clocked up 30,000 steps that day so it was great exercise as well!
I’ve also started a new job since I last posted. I took voluntary redundancy from the university which was a scary prospect but I got a job at Nexus Multi Academy Trust which I am loving at the end of week 4. (Staying sober through the redundancy and job hunting was hugely beneficial.)
Exercise is now just part of my regular routine. I’m running 2 – 4 times a week and doing regular strength and mobility training. I just feel meh if I don’t exercise regularly so it’s a non negotiable.
I’m eating more healthily and I’ve developed the best sourdough starter but that deserves its own post so stick around if you’re interested…….
It’s 55 days since I last had an alcoholic drink and I’m feeling great! I have had very few moments of really wanting a drink and they all passed really quickly! I’ve been sociable including having my own leaving do from the University sober. It was so nice to be able to drive home, get a good nights sleep and get up for a run the next day!
I’ve been reading some great books to spur me along and recommend the following which are great reads:
The unexpected joy of being sober by Catherine Gray
Today is the final check in with Beth after 6 months on her coaching program (which you can find out more about here)
Beth’s coaching has totally and utterly changed my life. In the last 6 months I have lost over 2.5 stone but that is just the tip of the iceberg. I could not have believed 6 months ago that my life could change so much for the better.
Before I started coaching I used to have an internal battle with myself about which 2 or 3 days I would exercise each week. If I managed 1 or 2 workouts/runs then I saw that as a win. I needed Beth to hold me accountable so that I would exercise. 6 months later Beth is lecturing me about the importance of having rest days as I just can’t get enough of exercising!
I initially said that one of my goals was to try and have at least 4 dry nights a week and to drink moderately on the other nights. I have drunk alcohol moderately on 3 nights in the past month and had several months of not drinking at all. What is most amazing about this is that I have loved every minute of it. Why would I get drunk and not be able to get up for a run the next day?? I don’t recognise myself and this is down to the videos, podcasts and coaching that Beth has shared with me. I haven’t had to be a hermit either – I’ve still really enjoyed sober nights out, parties and several camping trips.
Other positive side effects of this coaching are:
I have more energy
I sleep much better
I am happy
I am calm
I am mindful
I rarely get stressed and if I do then it passes quickly as I am much better at taking control of situations
My blood pressure is normal
I am more productive at work
I don’t usually need to get up for the loo in the night
I don’t hate photos of myself
I don’t have to wear baggy clothes anymore
People keep telling me I look great
I spend all the money I used to spend on booze on clothes (good job I don’t drink much as I can’t stop buying clothes as everything I try on looks great!)
My dogs are getting great walks/runs
I’m setting a good example to my kids
I no longer spend lots of time worrying about my health
I no longer have constant internal battles with myself about drinking, eating healthily and exercising. It just comes naturally.
No food is off limits
I no longer avoid carbs
I don’t get stressed if my hubby puts a huge glug of oil in the pan when he’s cooking
I can run up hills without stopping
I can run 10 km in under an hour
This coaching is the best money I have ever spent and can’t thank Beth enough. Having someone in my corner who is so empathic and passionate about me and my health has been amazing. I’m going to have to carry on attending Beth’s boxercise classes so that I still get my Beth fix every week.
I’ve been reading and listening to a lot about alcohol recently. I’m really interested in the effect it has on sleep. I often wake up in the early hours and can’t get back to sleep when I’ve been drinking. Apparently that’s quite common according to the literature. However, I drank last Saturday and last night but felt like I’d slept pretty well – I woke up in the middle of the night but got straight back to sleep again. I’d put this down to drinking much more moderately than I used to and drinking plenty of water in between alcoholic drinks. Look at my Garmin sleep scores though! I clearly didn’t get the right kind of sleep on Saturday or last night! That explains why I feel so lethargic this morning!
I feel like I’m on the verge of quitting alcohol completely and this is adding weight to the argument for quitting. What did I gain from drinking last night? We had a lovely Thai curry at a friend’s then watched a film. I would have enjoyed both just as much without a drink. I would have got up and done park run this morning and that would have made me feel great. Instead I’m lying in bed lamenting over the fact I drank last night. What is the point? Well, back to the quit lit to fill my head with positivity about not drinking! Here are a few recommendations:
This naked mind app
The unexpected joy of being sober by Catherine Gray
I have to say I’m not the best at moderation, particularly when it comes to alcohol. I’m great at having no alcohol but once I have one drink I really struggle to stop until I fall asleep (sometimes in the middle of a party!) Then I wake up the next morning feeling rubbish and waste the day feeling sorry for myself. So, this week I had an internal battle going on in my head about whether to drink last night or do parkrun today. In the end I gave myself a good talking to and made myself drink in moderation. It worked! I got up feeling fresh as a daisy this morning and smashed Graves parkrun! It was mostly easy to drink moderately but there were moments where it could’ve gone either way. I did it though and practise makes perfect!
